Can A Lightly Tweaked E36 BMW 328i Out-Drag A Hyundai i30 N?

This lightly modified E36 is put up against Hyundai's hot hatch, making for a closer race than you might expect
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As you probably know by now, we’re big fans of the Hyundai i30 N here at CT. It’s probably the best all-round hot hatch available right now, and with a lot of rivals punching well above the £30k mark spec-for-spec, it’s great value too.

But not everyone is able to drop £29k on a new car or sign themselves up to months and months of lease/PCP payments. So can you get something that’s as fast in a straight line for much less?

That’s what Car Wow is intending to find out, by fielding the £2000 BMW E36 328i belonging to one of its videographers into battle with the 271bhp Hyundai. Its M52 straight-six isn’t quite standard, having undergone the popular swap to the less restrictive M50 inlet manifold among a few other tweaks.

It now produces 226bhp, which is still a long way of the Hyundai, but enough to make this a seriously close race!

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Comments

llP VeIoclty

Now this is an awesome drag race, very suprised at how well the e36 did 👌

10/28/2018 - 09:09 |
46 | 0
Anonymous

That 328i is beautiful

10/28/2018 - 09:35 |
60 | 0
Anonymous

E36 328 compact can beat it easy

10/28/2018 - 11:58 |
8 | 4
Bartek Tymoszuk

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Yeah, only if you’d swap a compact. Range topper was 323ti with m52b25 170PS I6

10/28/2018 - 19:51 |
2 | 0
Morris

The e36 looks stunning on the RCs. Would take it any day over the i30

10/28/2018 - 12:34 |
30 | 0
Anonymous

It looks like bmw was doing what hyundai is doing 20 years ago 🤣🤣🤣 not a bmw fan

10/28/2018 - 12:39 |
4 | 2
Anonymous

I like both cars but if i had to live with one id take the i30n as its a better daily

10/28/2018 - 16:49 |
4 | 0
slevo beavo

N/A > Turbo l

10/28/2018 - 20:32 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

All this tells me is the E36 is still a lot of bang for buck.

10/29/2018 - 07:27 |
2 | 0
GhostHUN

My question about these drag races is: do the cars have the same tires at least?

10/29/2018 - 14:41 |
0 | 0

Id like to know that. I’d also like to see how well the Hyundai performs if it were to last as long as the BMW.

10/29/2018 - 18:22 |
0 | 0